Sylvania



(Specimens.)

W. & R. N. WRIGHTSON.

A KNITTBD FABRIG.

No. 393,734. Patntd Nov. 27, 1.888.

5o face-thread.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

VILLIAM W'RIGHTSON AND ROBERT N. VVRIGHTSON, OF LINVGOD, PENN- SYLVANIA.

KNITTED FABRIC.

. SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 393,734, dated November 27, 1888.

Application filed January 5, 1887. Serial No. 223,421. (Specimens.)

facethread bound to the body at intervals, and

especiallyto the manufacture of such fabrics of this class `as are known as boucle or astrachan fabrics, in which the surfacethread forms curls or rings, the objects of our Invention being to expedite the manufacture and improve the appearance of fabrics of the character set forth.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a View of a piece of boucle fabric made in accordance with our invention. Fig. 2 is an exaggerated diagram of a piece of the fabric, showing the character of the body fabric to which the surface-threadis secured; and Fig. 3 is a similar' diagram illustrating a method which has been heretofore adopted in making fabrics ofthe class to which our invention relates.

So far as we are aware boucle-or astrachan fabrics have, prior to our invention, been made on ordinary stockinettemachines-such, for instance, as that shown in the patent of Kent and Leeson, No. 160,685, March 9, 1875. In this case the thread forming the body fabric is composed of two strands and the face-thread passes between the two strands in certain of the loops, so as to be bound to the body fab,- ric, as shown in Fig. 3. This face-thread in a boucle fabric is of such character that it has an inherent tendency to form curls or rings when sufficient slack is provided for the purpose, and the threads are such that when the fabric issubjectcd to the finishing operation there is a difference in the degree of shrinkage of the face-thread and body-threads, so as to form more or less slack in said face-thread. In the usual fabric, however, the facelthread is laid in straight and is bound in tightly to the body fabric, so that there is not sufficient slack to form the desired curls or rings of said Hence it has become customary to einploy dividing-wheels for acting upon the face-thread, forming slack portions or loops therein at proper intervals during the knitting of the fabric. One objection to this method of manufacture is that the speed of a machine of this class is limited, a further objection being that the loops must necessarily be disposed on the face of the fabric in accordance with a regular system or pattern.

In making our improved fabric we confine the surface-thread a by means of a thread, b, forming part of the body fabric, but drawn into stitches only by alternate needles, and thus forming stitches only in alternate wales of the fabric. For instance, as shown in Fig. 2, the course of thread b, which serves to bind the face-thread a, forms a stitch only in every other Wale of the fabric and Boats across the inter vening wales, these lioating portions serving to bind the face-thread. The thread b may, however, form stitches in every third, fourth, or other alternate Wale, as may be desired.

When the face-thread is confined by a binding-thread which forms stitches on alternate needles only, as described, said face-thread is held so loosely that its inherent tendency to form rings or curls is not materially affected by the stricture of the binding-thread, so that when the fabric is finished the slack in the face-thread is readily taken up in the formation of such rings or curls. rIhe rings thus formed are, of course, disposed at haphazard over the surface of the fabric, instead of being disposed in accordance with a regular system, and in this particular our fabric is of more attractive character than such fabrics as heretofore made.

Our invention may also be adopted in the manufacture of plush-faced fabrics, in which the surfacethread does not form rings or curls, the tying of the surfacethreads by a bodythread forming a stitch onlyin alternate wales of the fabric, in this case insuring fullness of the surface-threads and permitting the ready formation of the plush faceby gigging said threads.

As an instance of a machine on which our improved fabric can be made, we may refer to our patent, No. 353,525, dated November 80, 1886. In making the improved fabric on this machine the needles to which the bindingthread is supplied should be depressed to the full extent, so as to east theirstitelies and form new loops of the binding-th read when the facethread is east off. As shown in Fig. 2, there are four plain courses of stitches between successive binding` courses, and this number may be varied` as desired, by varying the arrangement of the cams in the machine, there being a plain course of stitches for each time that all of the needles rise to receive the knittingthread. l In producingT thefabric shownin Fig. 2, therefore, after alternate needles have been raised to receive the binding-thread, there will be four rises of all the needles to receive the knittingl thread before there is another rise of alternate needles for the bimling-threznl.

Ve claim as our invention- 1. A knitted fabric having` courses forming,r stitches in every Wale of the fabric, interposed courses forming stitches in alternate Wales, and a surfacethread bound to the body of the fabric by theselatter courses, all substantially as specified.

2. A k nitted fabric consisting of a body and a surface-thread having rings or curls irregularly disposed over the surface of the fabric, said surface-thread being bound to the body fabric by a course of stitches which is part of said body fabric, but formsstitches only in alternate wales ofthe fabric, all substantially as specified.

In testimony whereof We have signed our names to this specification in the presence of tivo subscribing Witnesses.

W'ILLTAM WRIGI-ITSON. ROBERT N. XVRIGHTSON. \Vitnesses:

XVILLLUI D. CONNER, HARRY SMITH. 

